A Promise and an Answer
by Satsuki Bun
Summary: The planet is finally at peace. But everyone is on their own quest: Someone has a promise to keep. Someone is looking for an answer. Is it all right to let go of the past? CloudxTifa, VincentxYuffiexReno.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII—all SquareEnix :)

_Author's note:_ I haven't written in a long, long time. But, I'm still obsessed with FFVII as ever! :) This story takes place about 6 months after the Deepground. I haven't played _DoC_ (nor _Before Crisis _and _Crisis Core_…and what else?) so I may be wrong on some facts throughout the story. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Obviously, he doesn't have those feelings for me anymore. It was too late._

"For you..."

_Have I ruined him, because of my very existence? _

"I joined SOLDIER...for you."

_Why didn't I realized it back then? True, we weren't the best of friends, but..._

"I was alone."

_I've always thought of him as a childhood friend...or, was he...? He was my next door neighbor...but we were never close. _

"I wanted you to notice me."

_Did I play with my own memories as well? Maybe I'm just as confused as he is. It's come to the point where I don't even understand my true feelings. I need an answer…_

_We're a "family" now. Just...not a normal one._

* * *

"Why aren't you and Cloud dating?" Marlene asked.

"W-what?" It caught Tifa by surprise. She stopped stirring the simmering soup. _Dating? Why would we?_

"You two were about to, right?"

The woman standing behind the stove shuffled the dirty towels in her hands and turned to look at the eight year old girl like she's her own daughter. "This is nothing you should be worried about," Tifa said sternly. "If I were you, I'd stop lazying around and clean up the table so I could serve dinner, ok?" She turned abruptly toward the pot of vegetables soup, but Marlene grabbed her wrist.

"Tifa!" she exclaimed. "Haven't you two gone through enough already? How much longer are you going to put off this? I want you two to talk properly! To get your feelings straight!"

The older woman blinked. "Marlene..."

"Tifa...!"

The barmaid turned away and returned to the soup. "Marlene, if you don't hurry up with the table, the soup's going to overcook."

She heard the young girl grumble and her wet towel splattered onto the wooden surface. Tifa turned around just in time to see Marlene's brown braid disappear behind the bar door.

_Marlene...who would have known that such a young girl knew more than me? _TIfa laughed bitterly. _How pathetic... Anyway, I knew it was never going to work out. I think I've finally moved on-no, I have to accept the fact that it's time to move on. That way, it won't hurt as much thinking that we're never meant to be._

The door swung again. Tifa turned, expecting to see Marlene, but it wasn't. Her heart skipped a beat. _Why?_

The blonde spikes were bent at awkward angles as the man took off his sunglasses. His graying leather boots made the wooden floors creak pleadingly as he stepped inside.

"Cloud?" Tifa breathed.

The chocobo-head looked embarrassed and apologetic, like a little boy caught in trouble. "Sorry Tifa, I should've called you, but the battery's dead," he said, showing his childhood friend his cell phone.

"I see," Tifa replied as she took Cloud's phone and connected it to the charger. She returned to the soup, unable to speak. _I wasn't expecting him to be back so soon. He said that he'll be away for the entire week... _

"Tifa? Are you...mad that I didn't call I'll be home for dinner?"

Stirring the soup absentmindedly, Tifa looked up and saw the Mako-blue eyes, piercing straight through her. _Home? Since when did he ever call this "home"? _

"...Tifa?"

"Oh, no, I was just worried I didn't cook enough-"

"CLOUD!"

The two turned to the door. Marlene and Denzel ran toward Cloud, their arms reaching out.

"You're home early!" Denzel exclaimed.

"Did you bring home anything?" Marlene asked excitedly as she wrapped her arms around Cloud.

The man chuckled, patting the two children on their heads. "Yeah, I bought something all of you would love." He turned to Tifa and added, "Tifa, you'll love this too."

TIfa felt Marlene's eyes glancing toward her, but she didn't return her glance. "Oh? What did you get us this time?"

He opened his bag and grabbed an icebox. Marlene and Denzel were standing on their toes as they stared at the box eagerly. The box clicked open and inside were three blue orbs and a large bucket of ice cream.

"Ice cream!" Marlene squealed.

"Wow! I haven't had ice cream for so long..." Denzel said softly.

Marlene took the boy's hands in her own. "We can have them after dinner!"

Denzel beamed and nodded.

"I bet you haven't had ice cream in a long time, let alone this brand..." Cloud raised the bucket of vanilla ice cream to Tifa's dark red eyes.

"Huh?" Tifa blinked. It was ice cream from home. Rather, what used to be "home". Kids back then love this brand-Nibel Ice Cream.

"Nibel Ice Cream..." Tifa smiled reminiscently. "Where did you get it?"

"Their factory moved to the Northern Continent, near the Icicle Inn," Cloud said as he put the ice cream into the freezer. "Better environment for their chocobo I suppose."

Tifa looked up in surprise. "The...the Northern Continent? You went to the Northern Continent?"

"Yeah, went to find the Chocobo Sage," Cloud replied.

"You flew there?"

"Yeah, Cid said he'll fly me with SHERA."

"Oh. And that's why you're back early, is it? Because Cid flew you?"

"Yeah...that's right."

Marlene and Denzel looked back and forth between the two adults' conversation, which was starting to sound extremely nerve-racking.

"And you told him you were heading to the Northern Continent?"

"Well, sort of..." Cloud paused.

"And you never bothered to tell _me _where you're headed to...even though we _live _under the _same roof_?"

"I..." Cloud stammered. "TIfa, is something wrong?"

The martial artist grabbed four bowls on the shelf and placed them onto the table a little too roughly. "Nothing!" she snapped. Her heart was beating fast. _Why do I feel so mad?_

The four sat at the table, like a family. The only difference was, they were unrelated-blood-wise. Marlene served soup for everyone, making sure not to create a mess to avoid getting scolded by a bad-tempered Tifa. Meanwhile, Denzel placed a butter roll on each of their plates with extra care. The two of them shared a nervous look, urging the other to speak.

Denzel gave up and spoke, a little too loudly, "let's eat!"

"Yeah, then we could have ice cream!" Marlene smiled nervously at Tifa.

Suddenly, Tifa stood up. "You guys go ahead, I'm not hungry." She stalked off upstairs. A moment later, they heard the sound of closed door.

Cloud glanced at the stairs, but did not get up. He turned back to the children. "Let's eat up."

Marlene looked anxious. "Uhm...How's Shelke?" Marlene asked.

"I dropped her off at Kalm. She says she's planning to help the homeless there..."

Meanwhile, in her room, TIfa clambered onto her bed and threw her covers over her head.

_What am I so mad about? It's not like he ever confided in me his whereabouts...But I felt so mad when I heard Cid flew him. That means Cid knows his whereabouts. And not me. Probably everyone knows it except me. Well, I'm not his anything so it's no surprise. I just thought that...we've lived together for more than three years, he could have been more open with me-at least give me a hint of where he's headed to during his trips! So I'm not even considered a friend to him after all since he doesn't even bother to tell me anything. Sometimes I wonder why he's even staying here-no, he never "stayed" here, he's just "here," physically..._

The normally calm Tifa drifted off into sleep, still feeling hot-tempered.

* * *

_Knock knock._

_Knock knock._

Tifa stirred in her sleep.

_Knock knock._

"Hmm..." Stumbling out of her bed, Tifa stretched her arms and yawned sleepily. Her head was pounding painfully. She fumbled for the door knob and opened the door. It was pitch dark outside in the hallway, except for the faded street lights from downstairs. Tifa glanced around the empty hall and wondered whether she was dreaming of the knocking.

Just when she was about to close the door, she peered down and saw something on the floor. She kneeled and saw a bowl of ice cream. As she reached out, she saw a note tucked underneath it. Picking up the note and bowl, she returned to her table, closing the door behind her. She placed the ice cream onto the table and sat down, flipping open the folded note.

"_I'm sorry for being so inconsiderate. _

_That's why I wanted to bring this ice cream home for you._

_- Cloud"_

_Home._ Tifa bit her lips, muffling a sniff. She stared down at the bowl of vanilla ice cream-three scoops placed neatly in the bowl, with crushed nuts sprinkled on top.

She sighed and smiled softly. "How am I supposed to eat this without a spoon, silly..." She got up and opened the door again, only to find Cloud, standing right in front of her, holding a spoon.

He caught her by surprise and she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, eyes wide.

"Clou-!" Tifa punched the man playfully on the chest. "You scared me!" she hissed.

Suddenly, he grabbed her punching fist swiftly and wrapped his strong arms around the woman. Cloud's heart was beating wildly, afraid that the figure on his chest would feel the thumping.

* * *

_Author's note:_ Second chapter should be up in no time.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII—all SquareEnix's :)

_Author's note:_ Thank you for the reviews, makes me happy to write again.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"I feel like he's pulling strings with me...One day he's close like a love-err-best friend, the next day he's as distant as ever," Tifa said frustratingly as she placed her glass onto the bar top. "We were really close when we were fighting the Deepground...and then after the fight ended, he was gone. Again."

"I still don't see why you punched him away that night," Yuffie said, taking a huge gulp of her beer. "Wasn't it your dream to be hugged by the chocobo-head?"

Tifa slapped the young girl's arm, making her yelp. "You make it sound like I'm desperate!"

"Well, you _are,_ aren't you?" Yuffie chuckled evilly. "We _all_ know what happened that night three years ago...man, I was barely legal...Hehehehe..."

The red eyes grew wide, and Tifa stared threateningly at the younger girl, holding her right fist in front of her. "Don't you dare mention it ever again..."

"Hehe...okay, okay," Yuffie raised both her hands up, as if surrendering. "Don't hit me!" she added hastily.

Drinking and catching up with the Wutai girl was fun. It was the weekend, and they were in a crowded bar called the New Midgar Bar at the roughly-built New Wall Market in the new Sector 6. Numerous people were dancing to the beat on the dance floor, trying their best to forget the haunting past of Midgar. Many were trying to live their life normally, after nearly six months since the Deepground battle. Though the area was still mainly deserted as people prefer living in the Edge than in the ruined city, the lights of the once-prosperous Wall Market were on 24/7 in order to attract visitors.

"I've finally accepted the fact to move on. I guess that's why I'm acting so cold to him lately," Tifa said softly.

"You could go for Rude. He's always been fond of you," Yuffie gulped her beer down in oneshot, her face flushing.

"Rude?" TIfa shook her head. "You're kidding. Although he's a pretty nice guy, I can't stand dating a man who's bald. Too shiny, if you know what I mean. I prefer...blonde. And spiky hair. And someone who's strong...yet weak..." Tifa was dazed. Maybe it was the dancing disco ball. Her head was pounding.

"Oh gawwwwd, he's such a player!"

"What? No! Cloud's not a player! He just doesn't know how to express himself-" Tifa defended.

"Huh?" Yuffie turned to Tifa confusingly. "Cloud? What? Oh, no, I mean _him._ Lookit that guy!" (pointed to the dancing crowd), "That fire-head thinks he's getting all the girls..." Yuffie narrowed her eyes. "And those women...what are they _thinking_? Are they that desperate?"

Tifa frowned and turned toward the direction Yuffie was pointing at. One particular man with flaring red hair was surrounded by women swarming all over him, all trying to touch as much of him as possible.

"Look at how those women are _dressed_!" Yuffie shivered as she glanced at the black laces and bratops. "Are they..._hookers_?"

"Hehehe," Tifa turned away from the dance floor. A thought suddenly came flowing to her mind. She started giggling.

The ninja noticed her friend's giggling fit and asked, "what's so funny?"

Tears were slipping from Tifa's eyes as her giggles turned into shaking laughter. She haven't laughed so much in such a long time.

"Tell me!" Yuffie grinned, hitting Tifa's arm.

"Hahaha...I can't...stop...laughing...hehehe..." Tifa shook with laughter. "I just remember something...something that happened in Sector 6..."

"Sector 6?"

"Yeah, in fact, just around this bar...or it used to be," Tifa took a deep breath and smiled.

"Something to do with hookers?" Yuffie asked.

Wiping her eyes and trying not to laugh, Tifa replied shakily, "sort of..." and she shared her story of Cloud dressing up as a woman to save Tifa from Don Corneo with Aerith. Yuffie couldn't control her laughter.

"Hahaha! I never knew this! I'm gonna tease Cloud so much the next time I see him!" Yuffie snorted, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Haha...yeah I was so shocked to see him. All dressed up with make-up on...although his arms and legs were a little too big haha," Tifa chuckled reminiscently. Then she gave a long sigh.

"What?"

"Hmm, I never had the chance to ask him whether it was his or Aerith's idea to save me," Tifa shrugged. "It was probably Aerith's."

"Well," Yuffie replied slyly, "there's only one way to find out. CALL HIM!" With that, she flipped out her cell phone and pressed Cloud's contact. "Let's hope he picks up my call...he rarely does anymore haha."

"Yuffie, no!" Tifa hurtled toward the phone just as Yuffie answered it.

"Hello chocobo-head!"

"Yuffie, NO!" Tifa hissed, face red with embarrassment.

"I'm glad you picked up your phone," Yuffie said cheerfully. "Anyway, Tifa here has something to ask you," and she threw the phone to Tifa's ears and disappeared into the crowd. The woman fumbled with the phone, fuming. She could hear Cloud's voice through the receiver.

She took a deep breath and spoke. "Hello?"

"Hello Tifa? Is something wrong?" _He sounds concern. _

"Oh, uhm," Tifa paused. She could hear heavy breathing on the other end. "Are you...lifting weights?"

Surprised, Cloud replied, "yeah, how do you know?"

"Oh I don't know, I could hear you breathing heavily," Tifa said. "Um, never mind, it's nothing. Sorry to bother your lifting."

She was about to hang up but Cloud quickly said, "no, wait, I'm done anyway," (Tifa could hear him placing the dumbbells onto the floor), "What is it? Yuffie said you got something to ask me."

_It's either now or never. Just do it Tifa! _Full of determination, Tifa blurted out, "was it your idea or Aerith's idea to save me from Don Corneo back then?"

Silence filled the other end. _Damnit, I messed up again. _"Haha, never mind! I guess I'm just a bit tipsy!" Tifa squeaked.

"No, you're never tipsy, Tifa." Cloud's voice was quiet, but strong.

Tifa swallowed a lump in her throat.

"Of course it was my idea to save you," (Tifa's heart skipped a beat), "...Haha...I can't believe I actually dressed up as a woman."

"You mean, it was your idea to dress up and save me? From the Don?" Tifa asked uncertainly.

"Of course," Cloud said. "I promised, didn't I? I promise I'll come save you if you're ever in a pinch. So I came. But...as a 'woman'."

Tifa burst into laughter. The two childhood friends shared several minutes laughing until their stomachs hurt.

"Say, Tifa, when are you coming home tonight?" Cloud suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"I saved one last scoop of ice cream for you...although the kids are eyeing it eagerly."

A warm feeling filled Tifa's heart. "I'll come home now."

She heard Cloud smile. "I'll wait for you then."

The two hang up. Tifa bit her lip, heart beating fast, face burning red.

"_How'd it go?_"

The words next to her ears made her skin crawl. She turned to see a grinning Yuffie. The martial artist narrowed her eyes and said, "I see you having fun with Reno, hm? Got your feelings straight? What about Vincent?"

Yuffie pouted her lips. "Aren't you supposed to help me _get over _him? Why are you mentioning him at a time like this?" She turned toward the dancing crowd absentmindedly; in the middle of the dance floor, the red-hair was waving frantically at the girl.

"Just wanted you to get your feelings straight." Tifa smiled at what she had just said-it was something that Marlene had taught her. She stood up and held the phone to the ninja's right ear. "Here, now it's _your _turn."

"What?" Yuffie's brown eyes grew wide as she stared down at the phone. "Vin-TIFAAA-!"

* * *

A light breeze blew past her as the martial artist practically skipped out of the bar. The night air smells of moonflowers and dew. _It's been a long time since such fresh air existed in this city, no, in this planet. Maybe things are looking positive after all. _Aware that she's walking in the midst of darkness in which some monsters are most alert, Tifa was not afraid. There were still many people outside, because it was weekend. Tifa smiled as she saw couples and friends hanging out. It's been a while since she last felt so light. Confidence is filling up the young woman again.

* * *

Holding the phone in her hands, Yuffie stared down at the name: Vinnie. _What the fuck? _She could imagine his blank expression; _he's probably thinking he made a mistake picking up the phone. Damnit, seems like Tifa and Cloud went well. _Yuffie was still staring; the time of the call kept ticking...1:01...1:02...1:03... _He's actually not hanging up...what is he thinking? No, what am I thinking? I'm wasting my money here. _Cautiously, she put the phone to her ears, listening. Surprisingly, she heard a familiar husky voice talking in the background.

"Maybe she's in trouble," Nanaki said.

"Or maybe she's sleep walking and accidentally called me," a monotone voice spoke.

"Hey! I'm out partying, couldn't you hear the noise?" Yuffie exclaimed.

"She's awake," Yuffie heard Vincent said.

"Of course I'm awake...didn't you hear me? I said I'm out par-ty-ing! In Sector 6!"

"Sector 6?" Vincent replied, with slight interest. "Nanaki, she's at Sector 6."

"Really? Hey Yuffie," Nanaki's voice spoke into the speaker, "we're at Sector 7! Let's meet up!"

_Shit, I wasn't planning to meet him tonight_...She whispered softly to Nanaki, hoping Vincent wouldn't hear. "Nanaki, I'm not really in the mood to see him tonight..."

"Sure she is!" Someone suddenly grabbed Yuffie's phone.

"Wha-?" Yuffie turned around to see the unkempt red hair of Reno. "FIRE-HEAD!" Yuffie flared.

"We're at the New Midgar Bar. She'll wait for you...two," Reno winked at Yuffie, whose face was as red as a summon materia. He hanged up the phone, grinning from ear to ear.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Yuffie shouted in his ears.

"Helping you," Reno simply said. He motioned the bartender for a drink. "Yo, gimme the strongest you've got."

Yuffie shoved the man roughly."What makes you think I need your help?"

"You, my dear, is in desperate need of advice from someone like me," Reno replied cockily. "Anyway, why don't you wanna meet him? You still got feelings for him? And," he turned to point his index finger at his crush's nose, "I'm still waitin' for your answer yo. Though I was quite convinced that you were gonna accept me about 5 minutes ago. Weren't we havin' a great time dancing together just now?"

Yuffie felt her face burning and smacked the man's finger. "I don't like players like you."

"So you prefer a lone wolf obsessed over his frozen ex-girlfriend?" Reno asked, amused. "By the way, I'm not a player. Those girls were tryin' to suffocate me with their hideous make-up and stinkin' perfume. And, I didn't 'play' with any of 'em. I kept my eyes on you-just you."

Yuffie squirmed. "Seriously, hold your sweet talk." Rolling her eyes, she grabbed the drink from Reno. "'Strongest'? Ha!" With that, she started to gulp down the glass of alcohol.

"Wo wo wo! Hold it!" Reno tried to grab the drink out of Yuffie's grip. "This shit is strong! Even Rude couldn't handle it!" He looked around trying to find his partner. "H-hey Rude! Gimme a hand here yo!"

The shiny head was still wearing sunglasses, despite the lights were dimmed in the bar. "What? Your girl's drunk?"

"Who's his 'girl'?" Yuffie spat. "His girls are over there!"

"Looks like someone's jealous," Rude mumbled to the red-head.

"Jealous? _Really?_" Reno was gleeful upon hearing this.

"You shut up!" Yuffie was still gripping on the glass tightly, though some contents were spilling onto her lap.

The bar door swung and two figures entered. One was tall and the other was half the size.

"Hey girly, must be 18 or older!" a round man called out by the corner.

"I'm 19," the girl said flatly.

"She's with me," the tall figure said. His cape fluttered and a golden glimpse of his gun flashed at the round man, who immediately backed off.

"_Why is _she _here?_" Reno and Yuffie whispered simultaneously. The ninja glared at the Turks, who grinned widely at her.

"Oi, we're over here yo~" Reno waved.

"'We're'?" Yuffie demanded.

A furry creature jumped at the ninja. "Yuffie!"

"Nanaki~ I miss you!" Yuffie nuzzled the creature's nose and wrapped her arms tightly around his fluffy neck.

"_Wish she'd do that to me_," Reno muttered.

"Why are you here?" Yuffie demanded. "With Vincent? And, and Shelke?"

Nanaki replied, "Vincent and I were having our yearly gathering. I bumped into Shelke at Kalm, and so, she joined me."

Yuffie nodded slowly and glanced at Vincent and Shelke. The two seem to share a dislike of the loud songs and the dancing crowd, as both of them were frowning slightly.

"Hi Yuffie," Shelke said, noticing the ninja looking at her. "Hi Reno, hi Rude."

"Hi Shelke," the three replied together.

_This is so awkward. Why the hell is she here? _Yuffie was unsure of what to do or say. But Reno took things in his own hands.

"Shelke, Nanaki, let's dance-yo!" the red-hair grinned. The small girl was about to protest, but Nanaki, understanding the hint from Reno, together with Rude helped drag the girl onto the dance floor.

Suddenly conscious that her lap was wet with alcohol, Yuffie blotted tissues clumsily. She was alone with Vincent now. Yet, she felt brave. Maybe the alcohol was taking effect. _Heck, I'm Yuffie Kisaragi, the Single White Rose of Wutai, I'm not afraid of anything! _She faced Vincent, eyes twinkling. "I'm surprised you picked up your phone!"

Calmly, the man sat down. His red eyes bored into Yuffie's. "Nanaki told me to answer it. The ringing disturbed our conversation."

Yuffie pouted. Her head was spinning slightly...she blinked several times. Things were becoming blurry...there were three pairs of red eyes in front of her... "Oh...why are you-so-so-_mean_?"

Vincent merely stared down at her. "Is the ninja drunk?" he said with a slight smirk. Just then, he noticed the half-empty glass of alcohol in front of the girl. Turning to the bartender, he asked, "what is this?"

"'_Strong Fall' _we call it!" the bartender said as he held up a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other. "Not just these two either! We mix the strongest stuff together!"

"Oh..." the ninja moaned, "gimme more!" She reached for the glass, but Vincent simply pushed it out of her way.

"You're drunk."

"No-I'm-_not!_" Yuffie said loudly. She paused for a moment, then blurted out suddenly, "why do you care?"

"I don't care."

Silence.

Out on the middle of the dance floor, Shelke was surrounded by two grown men and one creature was biting her shirt. She looked up and saw bobbing heads and flashing lights. The two taller men glanced at each other, pretending to dance to the beat.

"Nanaki, please let go of my shirt," Shelke said in neutral tones.

"Erm-can't-do," Nanaki mumbled through clenched teeth.

The red-haired Turks glanced at the bar where Yuffie and Vincent were sitting. He wasn't sure whether they're talking or not since their backs were facing him. He sighed. _Wonder if she's confessed already?_

"There's still a bunch of girls out there," Rude muttered.

Reno glanced around. "Hell no, not if all the girls are like this one yo." He motioned toward the little girl in between them.

Shelke stared up at the two men. "Why are you dragging me here? What about Vincent and Yuffie?"

"They got stuff to talk 'bout," Reno said.

"About?"

The red hair glanced down annoyingly. "None of your business, is it?" He paused and added, "or do you like Vincent?"

The Mako-blue eyes grew wide. She was slightly gaining more of her own emotions half year after the Battle of Deepground. At Reno's questioning look, Shelke thought carefully before answering. "Yes. Yes, I think the part of me that's still Lucrecia likes him. The other part of me...is confused," she answered honestly.

"Deep shit," Reno muttered.

"You think Vincent likes me?"

"Probably 'cause you remind him of his frozen ex."

"That's offensive," Shelke said monotonously. "Oh, the Lucrecia part is kicking in again." She hit her head with her fists.

Reno and Rude shared raised eyebrows. _What the fuck... _Suddenly, the man in sunglasses nudged his partner and glanced at the front. Reno flipped his head around. Vincent got up and left the bar. Yuffie, on the other hand, was sitting with slumped shoulders, shaking slightly. Anxiety crept into his heart; immediately, Reno pushed through the dancing crowd, making his way toward the weeping girl.

"Yuffie?" His voice was worried. He had never heard his own voice sound like this. Resting his hand on the girl's trembling shoulder, he was ready to see tears trickling down her face; instead, she was laughing softly. "Yuffie-chan?"

"Hehehe..." Yuffie chuckled slightly. "Hi cutie...Wanna drink with me?"

The red hair blinked. "Hey, hey, what happened? Did you tell him? Did he reject you?" At the corner of his eye, he could see Rude and Nanaki dragging a confused Shelke out of the bar. Rude gave him a thumbs-up and left.

Yuffie hiccoughed.

Turning to the bartender, Reno demanded, "hey, what happened to her?"

The bartender scratched his whiskered chin thoughtfully and replied, "she ordered half'a dozen more glasses of tha' strong stuff, 'cause the man in the cloak say he don't care if she's wasted."

Bewildered, Reno stared down at the seven empty glasses. "Er, did they talk?" he asked.

"Nope, although the man did try ta stop her. She won't let 'im though."

"And he left? Just like that?"

"Yep," the bartender answered. "Oh," he added, "he seem kinda mad when he left though."

"Mad, eh...?" Reno turned to the girl next to him, who now seem to be suffering from a fit of giggles. His heart was racing. He flipped open his phone and dialed "Boss".

Rufus answered within the second ring. "Yes?"

"Hi Boss, sorry to disturb your sleep," Reno said quickly. "But I need a week off."

There was silence on the other end. "Ok," the man replied simply.

"Thank you, Boss!" Reno said excitedly. "I love you yo!"

Hanging up his phone, the red-hair turned to the giggling girl eagerly. "Yo, Yuffie, can you hear me? Yuffie-chan, look at me." He put his arms on the girl's shoulder, shaking her softly. The girl was still giggling.

Reno took a deep breath and said in his most serious tone, "Yuffie, I dunno what he said to you, but I just wanna let you know that I'll wait for you," (the ninja seemed to gain a bit of her consciousness and stared cross-eyed into his eyes), "I don't care whether you like me or not...But how about this-gimme a week's time. We'll spend one week together, and see if you like it or not. Ey?"

Yuffie blinked several times. Reno waited patiently for her answer. After a while, the ninja finally muttered, "like, like a-a-trial?"

Reno nodded. "Like a trial."

"Starting when?"

"Starting now."

* * *

_Author's note:_ A long, long chapter. I didn't want to split it up. It's my first time writing YuffiexReno :D  
And I know Midgar wasn't rebuilt (according to the 500 years later scene, where Nanaki overlook the ruins), but, let's just say _some minor _parts of Midgar were rebuilt…


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII—all SquareEnix's :)

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Tifa walked up the short stairs leading to Seventh Heaven. Turning off the lights of the kitchen, she climbed up to the second floor landing. The hallway was dark, though she could see dimmed lights leaking out of the children's room. As quietly as she could, she creaked the door open and peeked into the room. There, Marlene and Denzel were sleeping peacefully, each with a hand stretched out holding onto Cloud, who was dozing on a chair in between the two beds, with a story book opened on his lap. Such a scene made Tifa smile. _It's like a young father and his two children._ Softly, Tifa closed the door behind her, and she returned to the kitchen. She opened the freezer, but did not see any ice cream. "They must have finished it all."

"I tried to stop them," a voice said softly. Tifa turned and smiled. The blonde was wearing a sleepy look, like a young boy.

"That's all right," Tifa replied. "You'll buy me more, right?"

Cloud nodded. "Of course." He reached out his right hand awkwardly toward Tifa. She look up at the man, and, despite the darkness, she could see that he was blushing. Tifa smiled and took his hand.

Holding her hand softly, he led her out of the bar and started toward the stairs of the rooftop. They rarely use the rooftop, except for Cloud's storage room for his delivery service. Upon arriving, a cool wind blew softly. Tifa looked up at the night sky and gasped. Up at the full-moon navy sky were million of stars twinkling down at them. The night reminded her of that one night in Nibelheim. Smiling, she glanced at Cloud, who was watching her intently.

"It's so beautiful..." Tifa said softly. Just then, she noticed a soft blue-green hue glowing near the back of the storage room. She walked toward it and laughed. "Don't let Yuffie see this!" A box full of blue and green materia orbs were shining at her.

The two childhood friends sat down on a bench and admired the blinking night sky for a long moment. Tifa wasn't sure how long time had passed, but she enjoyed the silence, listening to crickets chirping and frogs croaking. It was Cloud who spoke first.

"Doesn't this remind you of that night in Nibelheim?" Cloud asked. "The sky almost looks the same."

Tifa smiled. "I feel the same too."

Cloud was silent. Tifa knew something's racing in his mind, thinking hard. She sat, waiting patiently. The crickets were singing songs. Stars were flashing before their eyes. Still, Tifa waited.

Finally, the man spoke up. "Remember the promise?" (Tifa nodded), "I promise I'll come for you when you need help. I hope I kept my promise."

Tifa nodded again. "Of course you did. Numerous times too."

Nodding, Cloud continued, "I feel that it's time to move on from this promise."

The woman next to him stiffened.

Cloud scratched his head; it was a gesture that Tifa adored. "I feel that it's time for me to move on and protect the ones whom I love. Not just when they need help, but, because I feel the need to protect them."

Tifa nodded and rested her head gently on Cloud's broad shoulder. It was comfortable and their height were just fit. She waited several minutes before whispering, "do you love me?". It was a question she had asked before, though not when he was "awake". She felt him shift a little on the bench.

"Yes," Cloud whispered finally.

Looking up at the Mako-blue eyes in the moonlight, she whispered, "I could hear your heart beating."

Cloud blushed. "But I-"

"-don't know how to approach me," Tifa finished for him.

He shrugged.

"But you're getting better at it."

"I hope so."

"You are," Tifa comforted him. She rested her head on his shoulder again.

The two of them smiled at the star-filled sky. Somewhere in the dark, they could hear a long howl.

* * *

"Why did you just leave her like that?" Nanaki growled.

"Reno's with her," the man in maroon cape simply said.

Nanaki thought about his crushed friend and asked, "what do you think of her?"

"A mischievous girl."

His four-legged friend was starting to get annoyed with the one-sentence answers. "Do you care about Shelke?" Immediately, he felt guilty for talking behind the girl's back, who was in the room next door.

"Yes. But like a younger sister."

_Oh, wait until I tell Yuffie! _Nanaki continued, "do you care about Yuffie?"

"No."

"You _do _care about her."

Vincent turned to face the window, staring out at the debris-filled street of Sector 6. Though parts of Midgar have been roughly rebuilt, many places remained hollow and deserted. The friends were in a small inn at the New Wall Market, where Nanaki and Shelke were to stay the night. Nanaki had asked Vincent to keep him company, but he wouldn't.

In his monotonous voice, Vincent said, "you had lived a long life, yet learnt so little."

"That's insulting!" Nanaki growled.

"Time to go, see you next year," Vincent stepped toward the door but stopped abruptly. "Escort Shelke back to Kalm tomorrow," and with that, he left the confused Nanaki in the empty cold room.

Vincent never cared for the other's company. He only agreed to meet Nanaki each year because of the latter's "issue" with loneliness. _Loneliness...something I've come to terms with. _He stared up at the full-moon; it was nearly 3AM. He always felt most awake in the middle of the night. With no place in mind, his legs took him to the old church.

It was a serene place. The moonlight shone through the stained glasses, illuminating various parts of the church. Things have been repaired-the roof was fixed by Cloud himself. New flowers have been replanted by Tifa and Marlene. In fact, the flowers never seem to wilt; they bloom all four seasons. _Must be Aerith_, they all thought. Vincent wasn't especially close to her-neither was he close to anyone in particular. The flower girl and Tifa were always trying to bring Vincent closer to the group. Even after the battles, Tifa would send Vincent text messages to make sure he was okay, though he rarely reply; still, he appreciated her effort.

He sat down by the flowers, stretching out his long legs. A small pool of pure water remained, never evaporating. It was like Aerith's spirit was still protecting this church. "_Why are you and Cloud such lone wolves?_", he could imagine the woman asking with a smile.

_Lone wolf._ Out of all the party members, he and Cloud probably have the most in common, personality-wise. Surprisingly, Vincent helped Cloud break out of his shell when battling Geostigma. Even he was surprised at himself for doing what he did-consoling Cloud that he's not alone in the fight. _Seems like Cloud has won his battle against himself. _

As for the others...Reeve, of course, was close to Vincent because of the WRO. As for Barret and Cid..._they're too loud_. The little Shelke..._I feel closer to her only because she has memories of Lucrecia. _Lucrecia. No, he was not in love with her anymore, though it was her who had given him strength to keep on fighting. Lucrecia is in the past. Vincent had finally come to terms with this fact. It was for this reason that he wasn't haunted by Shelke's memories of Lucrecia anymore. _I can face her without guilt. _But he still felt a need to watch over her; after all, they've gone a long way together during their battle against the Deepground. _Just a little sister. That is all._

_What about Yuffie?_ Aerith's voice piped up in his mind. _You really don't care about her?_

_Does it matter if I do or not? _Vincent knew how the girl felt toward him. Yet, he felt that she deserve better. _Who would want to be with such...a complicated man? And that much older?_

_She doesn't mind!_ Aerith's voice argued.

_Forget it. She was a partner-in-crime. Let it remain like this._

_You know she doesn't want that._

_Doesn't matter. That's my decision._

_But what about _her _decision? Why are you deciding it for her? _Aerith demanded. _Don't you know you've hurt her when you said those things and left her at the bar like that?_

_(Am I imagining this conversation?) _Vincent wondered. _Anyway, she's got Reno now. He'll take care of her._

Aerith's voice was stubborn. _I know you love her. _

_I never was a good lover. I only end up hurting the ones I love._

_So that's why you're leaving her? _

_I never left her._

This was a promise he made for himself.

* * *

_Author's note:_ Is it normal to have conversations like this with Aerith? Hmm. If you were Yuffie, who would you choose? And why is Reno always depicted as a player anyway? I don't really remember the game hinting he's a player, except that he goes to bars often.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII—all SquareEnix's :)

_Author's note: _ Girls are naturally attracted to bad guys, no? ;) Thank you for the comments and reviews!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Yuffie woke up on a bed. _On a bed? Where the fuck am I?_ She sat straight up, bewildered. Heart pounding madly, she stared down at herself-she was still wearing her clothes from last night. _Oh good, my clothes are still on..._Her head was aching and spinning. "Ugh, hangover..."

"You woke up yo!" a familiar voice said.

The ninja frowned to her left-the red-haired Reno was sitting beside her on the bed. His bed hair told Yuffie that he had just woken up too.

"WHOA!" Yuffie screamed and clambered down the bed. "What the fuck happened?" She fell down on the floor, and immediately, she double-checked if her shorts were still on. They were.

"Calm down," Reno said cheerfully. He looked over the edge of the bed. "Nothing what you're thinking happened. You passed out last night at the bar so I took ya home."

Yuffie whistled a sigh of relief. "This is your home?" She glanced around. It was a small studio place, with a bed and a small kitchen. "Why did you sleep on the bed with me then?"

Ruffling his hair, Reno replied, "no where else to sleep, eh."

Jumping up, Yuffie realized there wasn't a sofa or anything that the man could sleep on. "On the floor then!" Rubbing her bottom, she sat down on the far edge of the bed, keeping a distance from Reno. "So nothing happened, right?"

"Hmm..." Reno considered for a moment. "Well, something _did _happen between us..."

Yuffie flipped around her head so fast that she felt her neck crack. "WHAT?" She jumped onto the bed and reached out her hands, ready to strangle the fire-head. "You said nothing happened!"

"H-hold on!" The red-hair locked his hands on Yuffie's struggling wrists. "I said nothing you were _thinking_ happened, but something else _did _happen."

"What?" Yuffie screamed.

"Our trial."

Yuffie blinked and stopped her struggling. "W-what trial?"

Reno grinned. "You forgot?" The girl stared confusingly at him so he continued. "Our 'trial'. Our. One. Week. Trial."

Something in Yuffie's mind snapped. "SHIT you're kidding!" _Did I agree to it? Ohmygawd I must have been so wasted!_

"Hehe, you said okay to it," Reno replied slyly, "and, it started already too."

Yuffie smacked her forehead.

"C'mon! I'm gonna take you somewhere fun yo!" Reno grinned widely. His face was filled with utmost excitement.

"Seriously?" Yuffie raised her eyebrows.

"Never been more serious yo!"

Yuffie suspected that the "somewhere fun" is probably Gold Saucer. _That's where all the guys take girls to on a date...even though I've never actually been on one. Sad. _

Walking out of the old Midgar Gate, she found a gold chocobo standing about 10 feet away, waiting for its owner. "Whoa, a gold chocobo!" she exclaimed. "Wonder who's it!"

"Mine," Reno replied simply.

"You're lying."

The man looked wide-eyed at the girl. "I'm not! Look!" He whistled and immediately, the chocobo marched toward him.

"WARK!"

Reno grinned and patted the chocobo's shining beak. "Good girl, Rosy!"

Disbelief, Yuffie stared up at the glowing animal. "Rosy? That's her name?"

"Yep."

"You bred her?"

"Yep."

"NO WAY!" Yuffie exclaimed. The chocobo gave a loud WARK at Yuffie's noise.

"Don't be so loud Yuffie-chan~"

The ninja felt her face burn slightly red. "I don't believe you. She's probably Shinra's, yea?"

Reno turned to look at her with a weird expression. "I bred her myself. Believe me, yo?"

He stepped to the chocobo's side and lifted himself swiftly onto her back. "Come on up, Yuffie-chan~" He reached out his left hand and easily pulled up the girl, sitting her in front of him. With his arms on Yuffie's both sides, he grabbed the reins, and Rosy the chocobo began bouncing away from the ruins.

"You can hold onto my hands if you're scared yo," Reno whispered into Yuffie's ear.

Flushing in the face, Yuffie felt a shiver of goosebumps. "You wish!" she snapped, hoping the man wouldn't see her burning face.

The red-hair grinned, shouting as he pulled the reins, "let's go, Rosy yo!"

Yuffie was surprised when they stopped at Junon. Getting off Rosy, Reno held Yuffie's hand and dragged her (because she was struggling out of Reno's grip) to Upper Junon, where many shops and restaurants laid.

"Where-are-you-taking-ME?" Yuffie stammered as she continued to struggle her hand out of Reno's grasp. "Ouch!"

Immediately, the red-hair released her hand. "Sorry, did I hurt you?" Seeing Yuffie's cocky expression, he knew it was pretense. Sticking out his tongue at her, he led her to a restaurant called The Junon Table.

Lights from the chandeliers were dimmed. The walls were decorated with antique paintings. Reno raised two fingers to the waiter, who guided them to a small square table by the window. A single white rose was placed on Yuffie's plate. She stared down at it, then looked up at Reno's smiling face. If she was not mistaken, Reno's cheeks were slightly flushed.

"This is one of my favorite restaurants," the red-hair said excitedly. "Let's order brunch yo!"

The food arrived. Eggs, muffins, bacons, sausages, salad, fruits...Yuffie's eyes glowed. The two ate greedily, feeling ravenous.

_Ring ring. Ring ring. _

Yuffie flipped her phone. "Hello?" The caller spoke and she started talking animatedly. "Yuri! How have you been?"

_Yuri? Isn't he that childhood friend of hers? What is he calling her for? _Reno glanced at Yuffie's gleeful expression with jealousy.

"Oh my gawd, that's great! Haha, yeah I think I'll be back by then...Yeah definitely! Yeah, okay, I miss you too! Bye!"

Yuffie hang up, smiles all over her face. She looked up and saw Reno's dark pout.

"Why is Yuri calling you?" Reno muttered.

The girl across from him smirked. "Why? Are you jealous?"

Stabbing roughly at the egg in front of him, Reno replied, "Yes, I'm jealous." Putting down his knife and fork, he asked, "does he like you?" He looked straight into Yuffie's round eyes with the most serious expression Yuffie had ever seen.

_Ba-bump_. Her heart was beating loudly. "No," Yuffie replied. "His engagement party's next weekend. He wants me to come."

Reno sighed in relief. "Can I go? As your lovely boyfriend~"

"You wish!" Yuffie snapped.

* * *

Seagulls squawking, waves splashing. Yuffie and Reno were sunbathing on the sandy beach at sunny Costa Del Sol. The clear blue water was washing their feet, cooling them off in the heat. They were on their third day of trial, and already, Yuffie was starting to feel a liking toward the man. _Fire-head sure knows his thing...! _

A flutter from behind caught her attention. She turned to the palm tree, but didn't see anything. _Must be a bird._

The ninja glanced cautiously at the red-hair in the corner of her eyes. He was lanky, yet muscular in all the right places. The round brown eyes traveled to the chocolate-like-abs and snapped away abruptly. But not before she noticed something. A long scar, around six inches maybe, stretched diagonally along the man's right chest. The Turk caught the girl sneaking.

"Checkin' me out, eh?" Reno grinned slyly.

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "What's that?"

"My nippo yo."

The girl's face reddened at once. "No, you perv! I meant _that!_" She pointed to the scar.

"Oh, _that_," Reno's grin faded to a smirk. "Got it when I first joined the Turks. Stupid ass nearly killed me."

The girl could not imagine what would have happened if the slash was on the left side of his chest.

_Ring ring. Ring ring._

Reno flipped his phone. "Yo," he answered lazily. "...Damnit Elena, I'm on _holiday_. _G'bye_."

Yuffie turned to Reno with a sly smile. "Elena? Does she have a crush on you?"

The Turk frowned. "Hell, no. She's in love with Tseng." Slowly, his frown turned into a wide grin. "Why? Are _you_ jealous? Yuffie-chan~?" Reno learnt that calling the girl "Yuffie-chan" was her soft spot.

Face blushing as red as the man's hair, Yuffie exclaimed, "of course not!" She stuck her tongue out and splashed water at him.

* * *

"You mean..." Tifa's red eyes grew wide as realization dawned on her.

Nanaki nodded sadly. "I reckon he likes her."

The martial artist closed her eyes and sighed deeply. The two friends were sitting on the doorsteps of Seventh Heaven, bathing in the warm sunlight.

"Well, it's too late for him to admit it now, isn't it?" Tifa sighed. Taking a sip from her ice lemon tea, Tifa asked, "how's Shelke?"

"She seems to like Kalm better than here," Nanaki replied. "And she's feeling..._more _now. I think helping the refugees helped her gain more emotions."

The woman nodded. "She probably understands her feelings for Vincent weren't really hers. How complicated it all must have been."

Silently, the two watched the children play while in deep thought. Both were worried about their dear friend, who was completely unaware of the truth of Vincent Valentine's feelings. Baffled by what the man had said to him several previous nights, Nanaki was confused about what to do with this newly-learnt information. _Should I tell Yuffie or not? _In the end, after being bottled up frustratingly for several days at Kalm, Nanaki decided to return to the Edge to find someone to talk to. Tifa had only just found out the truth through Nanaki's recollection of the conversation.

"I wonder...if we should tell Yuffie?" the four-legged creature asked uncertainly.

Tifa buried her head in her arms miserably.

_WARK WARK._

"You've got message again," Nanaki said softly.

"Oh, Nanaki!" Tifa exclaimed. She flipped open her phone faintly and scanned the message. Her inbox had received over 100 messages during the week, all sent from Yuffie, each detailing the course of her "trial" with Reno.

"_Heading to the southern continent today! Fire-head says there's a cool cave down there. _

_Seriously, I find myself dreading tomorrow... _

_I mean, I'd love to be back home, but, this also means our trial's ending._

_Does this mean I like him, Tifa? Omg!_

_~Yuffie-chan"_

Nanaki and Tifa shared a look of mutual comprehension. No, they are _not _going to inform Yuffie about what they know. It seems too cruel for the three people involved.

* * *

_Author's note:_ Does anyone know how old Reno is? I would say he's probably 25-26-ish, since he already joined the Turks during Before Crisis. Any idea?


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII—all SquareEnix's, except Nana :)

_Author's note: _Yeah, I always tend to stray away from CloTi and write more about Yuffie. She's just more fun to write :P

* * *

**Chapter 5**

A dry gentle wind fluttered Yuffie's short hair as she sat on Rosy the chocobo's back. The Wutai grainy ground was cackling under Reno's black leather shoes as he guided the chocobo toward the village. It was Saturday. The two were heading to Wutai for Yuri's engagement party.

_Saturday. Never have I hated this day so much in my life. _Reno glanced sideways at the girl on the chocobo, wishing with all his might that the route to Wutai would never end. But the day has come. The day of the end of their "trial." Of course, Reno wanted to extend this "trial," but he never got the courage to bring it up. _Yo, what a coward._ Reno sighed. _Maybe, if I ask her if she enjoyed the week, I could bring the topic up..._

"Say-"

"Why do you wear that stupid goggles on your head anyway?" Yuffie asked lazily, as the wind made her dozy.

"Huh?" _Damn! _"Oh, just an accessory, ya know, to make me look cool," he answered foolishly. Thoughts were rushing in his head. _It's now or never Reno!_ "Yuffie-chan," he stopped the chocobo and looked up at the girl. The girl glanced down at him with sleepy eyes.

Reno took a deep breath and straightened his unbuttoned shirt. "I had a very fun week with you yo," he started, then paused, unsure of what to say. _This sounds freakin' dumb. _"I hope you had fun too," he ended stupidly, scratching his head. The red-hair expected the ninja to point her finger and laugh at him and wish to never see him again, but what she said next shocked him.

"I did, I had a lot of fun," Yuffie smiled brightly. "_Thank you_," she added lastly. It was something straight from her heart; she hope she said it with enough feeling.

The red-hair felt his face burning. "Do you...I mean," Reno scratched his messy head. "I was thinking, _can-we-extend-the-trial_?" he blurted and stared confidently at the girl.

Blinking with surprise, Yuffie blushed. "Well...I don't know..." She pretended to be thinking hard. "This 'trial' was fun and all, but...I'm not so sure I want to _extend_ it..."

Reno's heart sank, unable to hide his disappointment. "Oh..." He thought he had put his effort into maximization, perfecting the week for the girl, making plans to visit fun and interesting places around the world-the green meadow at the eastern continent, the snowboarding trip at the northern continent, the sunset at Gold Saucer, the mysterious lights in the southern cave that she loved so much...Apparently, she still does not like him.

"Hey, hey that's all right," he said trying to brighten up. "Let's get goin' then yo."

Just when Reno was about to pull the reins of Rosy, a monster appeared out of no where. It was a huge-sized mutated Bizarre Bug with full-grown wings, much stronger than the ordinary ones-and it was flying straight toward Yuffie.

"Watch out!" Reno shouted as he whipped out his Electro-Mag Rod swiftly. He pushed the Yuffie-seated-chocobo out of harm's way and slashed his rod at the flying bug. The bug flared its venomous fangs at Reno's whipping left arm.

"Ugh!" Blood splattered from the wound. "Screw you...!" He jumped and swung his rod, sending electric sparks at the monster. It fell with a thud onto the ground, crumpled.

"Fire-head!" Yuffie clambered down the chocobo, running toward the now kneeling man, panic in her voice. "Hey _Reno!_" Her heart was hammering.

She reached out and held the man in her arms, unaware that tears were slipping down onto the pale face. Reno's purple lips were slightly opened, and his eyes were closed. "Hey..._hey!_" Yuffie shook the man violently. "Wake up!"

Reno's long eyelashes flickered for a moment and opened. "Yo...I'm not dead..._yet_..." He managed a grin. Just as sudden, his eyes closed and his entire body weight pressed down into Yuffie's arms. Bright red blood was soaking up the girl's shirt as she wrapped her arms tightly around the man.

Gasping and sobbing, the girl shook the man roughly again. "NO! No, don't go!" she cried. "Y-you...what about the trial? Weren't you going to extend the trial? _Wake up! _Don't leave me! _I want to extend our trial!_"

The eyes flickered open again. "R-really?"

Yuffie nodded shakingly and stared at the man through her puffy eyes.

The red-hair grinned faintly and sat up, his bleeding arm trembling. He rummaged through his pockets and took out a brown packet and stuffed the contents down his throat. Swallowing the whole sachet, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Yuffie watched the pale face slowly gain the red glow of life.

"You..."

Reno smiled weakly. "I'm...feeling better..."

"You..."

"Hmm?"

"YOU GOT AN _ANTIDOTE_?" Yuffie yelled. She pushed the man out of her arms and jumped up, staring and pointing wildly.

The left wounded arm gave way and Reno fell with a thud onto the grainy ground. Blood oozed even more, reddening the sand. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to lie-I didn't lie..." He fought hard with his left arm, biting back the pain and tried sitting up again. "I...I was...too weak to take it out...not on purpose..." Grimacing with the stinging pain, Reno glanced pleadingly up at the ninja, who was glowering down at him.

"Please...don't be mad..." Reno pouted.

"I hate you!" Yuffie exclaimed angrily.

"Yo Yuffie-chan~" Reno pleaded in pain.

The girl puffed out her chest and snorted. "Hmph! Don't give me that look-"

"Yuffie...-chan...Yu-Yu...ffie..." the man collapsed onto the ground.

"_Are you serious or what?_"

* * *

Apparently, Reno really _did_ fainted this time. The pair was now in Yuri's home, with the man tending to Reno's wound, while Yuffie sat staring blankly.

"Good thing you called me right on time, Yuffie," Yuri was saying, "or else he would've bled to death."

"Serves him right!" Yuffie fumed.

Her childhood friend smirked. "You serious about him, huh?"

"Of course no-"

"If you're not, you wouldn't have such a big reaction," Yuri chuckled softly. "He must feel the same for you too, or he wouldn't have saved your butt like that, huh? Those mutated bugs are deadly."

Yuffie scorned. "I could have killed the bug easily myself."

"But you didn't," Yuri replied simply. "And he chose to push you away and save your screaming little head while he's bleeding like mad."

"Yuri!"

The two Wutai ninjas turned to the doorway. It was Nana, Yuri's fiancee. She was dressed in a traditional Wutai dress, like some kind of kimono, and was wearing an expression of utmost annoyance.

"Why aren't you dressed yet?" she exclaimed. "Everyone's here already!"

"Oh, oh of course!" Yuri scrambled to give his fiancee a quick peck on the cheek. "Guess I'll leave him to you, Yuffie." He winked and quickly followed Nana out of the room.

Turning to the red-hair laying on the futon, Yuffie soaked the towel into the tub of cold water and placed it onto the man's pale forehead. She sighed. "You stupid little...little _jerk_."

The sun was setting; the warmth from the afternoon sun slowly cooled off in the room. Yuffie could hear the commotion of the party outside. _Godo_ _must have arrived too_. She wondered how her father would react if he found out she was dating. She chuckled at the thought.

Just then, Reno groaned. His eyes rolled around in the closed lids; his fingers jumped. Slowly, he opened his eyes. _I didn't know his eyes are blue..._

"Ugh...Yuffie-chan?" Reno caught the girl staring at his eyes.

The ninja blinked, embarrassed. Weakly, Reno reached for the girl's hands on her lap. The two stared at each other in stubborn silence, both trying very hard not to let smiles twitch on their arrogant faces.

* * *

_Author's note:_ Reno's not a very good fighter, eh.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII—all SquareEnix's :)

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_Nearly four months. _Vincent stared down at his phone, convinced it must be broken. _How could it be possible that she didn't find me for four months? _

_You miss her, hm?_

Vincent looked up at the dusty ceiling as he laid on the couch surrounded by cobwebs. Lines of light glimmered through the tiny cracks of the Shinra Manor. Sighing, the man closed his eyes.

_Why don't you find her? _the flower girl asked.

_She's with Reno. They're dating now. _

_So you're just going to leave her like this? _

Vincent's eyes flew open. _I told you, I didn't leave her. I'm always...with her._

Yes, it was true. Vincent kept his promise and was always "with" her-or rather, he was always watching and protecting her, without the girl's acknowledgement of course. As the girl was always traveling around helping Reeve and the WRO, Vincent had been keeping a keen eye on her ever since the battle with the Deepground had ceased. He had never quite forgotten the memory of the girl saving him at this particular place on that particular day. _How could I let her save me?_

_So, is this your way of paying her back? _Aerith asked sarcastically.

_No. More like, my way of dealing with my feelings for her._

The man recalled the memory of seeing the girl and the Turk together for their so-called "trial" at the Western Continent. _What kind of man is that, who cannot protect his own love? _Vincent thought angrily, as he watched the mutated bug flying straight for Yuffie. He was about to shoot the monster out of Yuffie's way, when Reno whipped his rod at the bug. _But apparently, he got poisoned. And that's how they officially started. _Vincent thought bitterly.

Tonight, Yuffie was at Rocket Town for a meeting with Cid, Barret, and a couple of WRO members. Vincent never quite joined the organization officially. Knowing the girl would be safe with other WRO members, the man returned to Nibelheim for the night.

_So this is the life of Vincent Valentine. Traveling the world in order to protect the girl he loves, though never letting her know. Why? _Aerith's voice said gently.

Vincent closed his eyes, listening in the quiet night. _They seem happy together... I won't be the one to destroy her happiness._

* * *

"What are you doing here?"

Cloud turned and saw the maroon eyes of Vincent Valentine.

"I thought only I like to return to this place," the cloaked man said bitterly.

Cloud shrugged. He stared up blankly at the starry sky as he sat under the well. The village was a familiar place, yet foreign in so many ways. Vincent observed Cloud carefully.

"Why are you here?" Vincent asked again. It was a question that he wanted an answer to.

The blonde hesitated. He wasn't sure why he came. He never exactly wanted to return to this place-his hometown-ever since what happened so many years ago. It was a bittersweet feeling stepping into this village again. But this certain water tower, the wooden floorboards, the starry night-it was a place he wanted to come tonight.

"I..." Cloud shook his head. "I wanted to relive that memory."

"Is it important to you?"

Cloud nodded. "And I wanted to find an answer."

"And did you?"

Cloud shrugged.

Vincent stared down at him. "If you came all the way here to find an answer, I think you've already have an answer. Don't you think?"

Cloud didn't reply.

"It's time to leave your past behind. I thought you've learnt that one year ago. You can't live in the present being guilty of the past. No matter what, you can't erase the past-you've got to come to terms with it. Live on with your life. Accept your past. Face your present. It is time."

The chocobo-head was quiet. His past-his past feelings-love-for Aerith. Ever since that night at the rooftop with Tifa, Cloud had felt a twinge of guilt, like he had betrayed Aerith. The happier he was with Tifa, the guiltier he felt. His heart beat uncontrollably fast whenever he saw her. _I felt like my heart stopped when she kissed me on the cheek. _When he took Tifa to the Gold Saucer, he felt so comfortable with her that all his guilt disappeared immediately; but when it appeared again, it crashed in a tidal wave.

So he tried to escape his guilt, and only managed to do so by leaving Tifa. It was irresponsible and unfair to her, but he didn't know any other way to hide his guilt. He remembered seeing Tifa's pained expression whenever he came home after disappearing for weeks. _My heart...it's twisting itself. _He hated himself.

Tonight, Cloud thought hard and long under the well. He didn't want to hide anymore. Four months were enough. _Yes, Aerith is in the past. I loved her. But now...Tifa. She was here by my side, all this time. She gave me the strength to live so I could protect her...She must be waiting for me right now._

He stood up, and thanked the older man. As he started down the stairs, Vincent could see a difference in the Mako-blue eyes.

The cloaked man looked up at the twinkling sky. "All these years, I've kept fighting because of Lucrecia." He paused, knowing Cloud had stopped to listen. "That's all in the past. And now, I'm living for..._her_."

Cloud nodded, sensing the man's embarrassment. "I got it."

* * *

Tifa was packing.

The woman recalled the last night Cloud was home. _That was five days ago. _Though this wasn't the longest period the man had been away (_freaking one month?_), Tifa couldn't stand the monster in her heart any longer. _I need to find the answer._ On that particular night, Tifa, sensing the man would leave again the next morning, crept into his room and watched him sleep. Pain in her heart, she whispered in Cloud's ear, "I'm going to leave, to search for myself. It's not fair that you and Barret always get to travel around." She paused, hoping the following words could be etched onto the man's heart. "I love you. That's why I need to find an answer, for both of us."

Tifa sniffed as she placed a shirt into her bag. After spending the night at the rooftop, their relationship seemed to have developed into something more, though not more than a kiss on the cheeks. The two were talking more openly; Cloud stayed home longer and went on shorter trips; the man even asked Tifa on a date to the Gold Saucer. _Though I was quite sure the whole date reminded him of Aerith..._Tifa was jealous, yet she understood the man's feelings toward the flower girl. _She was pretty much his real first love. I was just a young boy's crush. _

A month later, as sudden as that starry night, Cloud disappeared, with no contact, no phone calls. He came home after two weeks. Tifa was furious. But she didn't mention it. _I didn't want to scare him away and make it seem like I'm overly clingy. _She thought it was just a one time thing, but it happened again a few days later. Cloud disappeared consistently. In the past four months, he had been home for less than two months altogether. Even when he was home, he was as distant as ever toward Tifa, though he made sure to speak with the children. Marlene and Denzel were worried that Cloud would one day leave. Again.

_He must have figured out his true feelings. That's why he's leaving me - us - again._

There was a knock on the door. Tifa turned and saw Yuffie standing at the doorway. She was to help Tifa take care of Marlene and Denzel while Tifa's away.

"Thanks for everything, Yuffie," Tifa smiled softly.

The ninja shook her head and looked at Tifa with serious eyes. "Tifa, you sure 'bout this?"

Tifa sighed. "He was always here...yet, never really here." She wiped her face hastily and smiled. "Anyway, it's fine. As long as we're still taking care of the children together, things will be fine. It doesn't matter what kind of relationship we're in."

"Even if he doesn't love you?" Yuffie asked incredulously.

"It doesn't matter anymore. I'd rather he not live a lie."

_Yes, that's right, I don't want him to live a lie...to live a life, burden with false feelings. That's why I need to find the answer. Once I have an answer, he wouldn't need to hide from me anymore, because I'll welcome the truth._

Tifa stepped into Cloud's room. Guilty as she was, she knew where the harp was placed. She walked directly to the second drawer of the desk and opened it. There, briefly hidden under a birthday card from Marlene, was the tiny Lunar Harp. Stuffing it inside her bag, she exited the room and found two unlikely people in the living room with Yuffie.

"Yuffie!" Tifa exclaimed as she stared at the red-hair and the bald man with sunglasses.

"Yo!" Reno winked.

The ninja grinned nervously. "Well, I couldn't help letting Reno know. Then he slipped his tongue to Rude..."

"Yeah, it was totally my fault," Reno said quickly, "but then I thought maybe Rude could accompany you yo-" He nudged his partner sharply.

Rude cleared his throat and said in his low voice, "that's right. I may be of some help."

Tifa turned to Yuffie in disbelief.

The ninja gave a nervous little laugh and said, "come on, let Rude go with you! He's big and muscular, though I admit he's not the best fighter," (Rude and Reno made to protest), "but I'd feel a lot safer if he went with you. Don't make me worry, pretty please?"

Puffing out her cheeks, Tifa crossed her arms. She didn't intend to let anyone know where she was heading, let alone going with _someone_, and that person happened to be _Rude_. _How awkward_.

"Come on, Tifa~" Yuffie pleaded.

"Yeah, c'mon Tifa~" Reno added.

Tifa sighed.

* * *

_Author's note:_ Cloud is stupid and acting like a kid, always running away from his problems. But that's...Cloud. On the other hand, I'm not even sure how big the Lunar Harp is—I suppose it's an actual _harp_, but how big is it? How is it possible to dig it in the village _and_ carry it around in the forest?


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII—all SquareEnix's :)

_Author's note: _Oops, didn't intend to make it seem like Tifa was leaving _for good_...umm you'll see.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The engine of Fenrir stopped roaring as Cloud parked it by the side of Kalm Main Street. He glanced up at the small blue building, where a client invited him for a visit. She was a familiar person, like a mother. Climbing the tiled stairs, his boots made no sound. He stopped in front of room 202 and knocked on the wooden door. A moment later, a middle-aged woman with brown hair tied tightly in a bun greeted him.

"Hello Cloud," Elmyra smiled. She gestured toward the living room and sat down on a brown couch. Cloud followed suit. A coffee table with a vase of yellow and pink flowers sat between them. Pale sunlight drifted into the room.

"How are you? You look tired," the woman said softly.

Cloud nodded. "Just went on a long trip."

The two chatted and drank tea for a while until Elmyra brought up an unlikely subject.

"How are Tifa and you doing?"

The man was silent. He didn't expect the woman to talk about Tifa.

"Is something wrong?" Concern was in Elmyra's voice. "Is it...Aerith?"

Cloud shrugged. Although Aerith and the woman sitting in front of him weren't blood-related, they both seem to have a talent at reading other people's minds.

"Cloud, don't let Aerith be the one blocking your life," the woman said. "She doesn't want that. You should know, right?"

Nodding, Cloud finally replied, "I feel...guilty. For being with Tifa."

"You know, Aerith would have been more than happy for the two of you," Elmyra said.

The chocobo-head nodded slowly.

"That girl. She saw right through you. She loved you. And she loved this planet. That's why she did what she did, to protect the ones she love," Elmyra sighed. "So you need to live your life happily. For her, for Zack, for yourself...and for Tifa. Please remember this, Cloud."

"I understand."

The older woman smiled. "Now, go live your life anew. Go on."

* * *

Two hours later, Tifa found herself in a Shinra helicopter, gazing down at the sandy shore of the Northern Continent. In the distant, she could see the dry rocky area of Bone Village. Rude descended the helicopter near the site. _Thump thump. _Tifa was nervous. The closer they were to their destination, the faster her heart beat.

Stepping out to the cold breeze, Tifa clutched her sweater tightly. The Turk watched her carefully. He pulled off his suit and put it over Tifa's shoulders clumsily. The woman was grateful for the warmth, but returned the jacket to Rude while shaking her head, smiling.

"Sorry for taking the long route," the martial artist said. "But the helicopter wouldn't be able to land near the place we're heading, so the only way to get there is through the Sleeping Forest."

Rude blinked in his sunglasses and nodded his shiny head confidently. "Don't worry about me."

The two started towards the digging village. In a weird way, Tifa was thankful for Rude's appearance. _Somehow, having someone come with me seem to lessen my burden...I'm not as afraid anymore._

Sounds of clanking echoed in the vast area of yellow earth. Tifa led the way towards the entrance to the Sleeping Forest, holding the Lunar Harp tightly in her hand inside the pocket of her sweater. She was familiar with the route of course, having been there several times with Cloud and the party. Sensing Rude's curiosity, Tifa said aloud, "I've gone through the forest many times."

"You have the Lunar Harp?" the man asked in his deep voice.

Tifa nodded. They were silent for a moment as they stepped into the forest. Then the woman spoke softly, "we come here often...to visit Aerith."

The Turk was quiet. Never once did Tifa inform him what her purpose was of this trip. Uncertain whether to answer or not, Rude managed a low grunt.

Trees were quiet, leaves were still. The only sound came from the slight strumming of the harp and the rustling of the pair walking down the grass route. It was a long walk, yet Tifa moved swiftly. The afternoon sun shone through the thick leaves of the old trees, sending warmth down to the silent trekkers. After nearly three hours of hiking, the trees thinned. Tifa looked up at the pale blue sky. Sunset was almost coming. She turned to Rude, whose sweat was sparkling on his shiny head.

"We better move quickly, or else we won't arrive before nightfall."

Rude wiped his head with a handkerchief carelessly. "O-okay...puff...pant...but, do you mind if we...rest a _little_?"

Stopping at the end of the forest, Rude slumped down on a tree bark and took off his suit, breathing somewhat heavily. Tifa sat down nearby, watching him.

"Did it wear you out?" she asked, as she took a sip of water.

The man waved his hand faintly and muttered, "s'been a while since I last power-walked so long."

Tifa laughed wholeheartedly. "I thought the Turks are supposed to have excellent fitness," she teased.

Rude blinked embarrassingly, aware that he had just made the woman laugh. "Well, I-I..."

"Come on," Tifa stood up. "Let's get going, _Turk!_"

She turned toward the direction where an ancient village stood. The baldheaded man quickly got up and followed. Pink clouds filled the orange and red sky. Rude walked behind Tifa, watching the golden lights reflected on her dark brown hair. _I wonder what she's thinking right now._

Finally, the two stopped - the Forgotten City emerged before them. A purple glow emitted from the village as twilight arrived.

"Here we are," Tifa breathed as she stared at the familiar split roads.

The two set off toward the right side and soon entered a white coral house. It was cool inside, and a soft blue glow illuminated the walls. They climbed the swirling stairs to the second story, where three beds laid.

"Let's stay here for the night," Tifa said.

Rude nodded. "You sleep, I'll keep watch."

"But aren't you-"

"That's the Turks' way of doing things," Rude said in his deep voice. "One rest, one keep watch."

Tifa laid on the bed by the window. She stared up at the ceiling, where aquamarine-colored lights jumped around. Turning to the side, she found the source of the bouncing lights-a glass object filled with what appeared to be liquid in blue-green color. Her eyes moved around the room, finally settling on the back of Rude's head. He was sitting on a chair across the room, facing the stairwell. She was observing the smooth round shape of the man's head, wondering why he decided to shave it...Slowly, sleep overcame her...

_..._

_Should I be wondering why you're here, Tifa?_

_...Aerith? _

Tifa felt her friend smile.

_How are you? How's everyone?_

_I'm fine...Everyone's fine...I..I'm..._

_Tifa, you were never one to stutter._

The woman smiled. _You know me too well..._ Her smile broke. Things were rushing in Tifa's mind.

_It's Cloud, isn't it? _Aeith's voice spoke.

When Tifa didn't answer, the flower girl continued.

_Hmm, that guy...What is it this time? I've told him I've forgiven him._

_Maybe being forgiven isn't enough. _Tifa blurted.

Aerith's voice was gentle. _Tifa, I think he's moved on already. Trust him, won't you?_

Angry, Tifa wanted to yell. _Then why is he leaving us again?_

The younger woman felt someone hold her arm tightly. _You know how "_good" _Cloud is with his feelings. _Aerith giggled. _I'm sure he'll get through it soon enough. _

_Aerith..._

_Gosh, you people are making me worried all the time! At this rate, I won't be able to return to the Planet wholly. _Aerith said jokingly. She squeezed Tifa's hand. _Believe in yourself. Okay?_

_..._

Tifa's eyes flew open. The twinkling blue-green lights shimmered above her.

"Aerith...?" Tifa whispered. She sat bolt upright in bed. It was still dark outside. She scanned the room wildly, only to find Rude sitting, shoulders slumped, dozing. "I must be...dreaming. No," she shook her head. "No, it wasn't a dream. Thank you...Aerith."

As orange sunlight drifted through the windows, Tifa woke Rude up, informing him that it was time to leave.

"Leave?" Rude asked, confused. "But I thought you're-aren't you-the lake-that altar-?"

Tifa smiled and shook her head. "It's fine, everything is...fine."

Puzzled as he is, Rude's eyes followed the martial artist as she exited the house, absorbing the bright sunlight. A new kind of happiness appeared on her tender face. The man watched in relief, a small smile materialized on his tanned face.

"Come on," Tifa turned around, her long hair twirling behind her. "We got a long walk. I promise I'll give you more rest, okay?" She winked and started toward the split end road.

Heat fumed up Rude's face. Hastily, he took out his handkerchief and wiped his head.

* * *

_Author's note:_ Aerith must be really busy, having to fix everyone's problems even after her death. :| I guess Tifa just needed something to boost up her confidence.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII—all SquareEnix's :)

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Cloak fluttering in the wind, a man stared down at three figures chasing a ball around an empty field near the border of Midgar. Vincent stood in a deserted building, hidden in the shadows of debris and steel frames. _Why are they playing in such a dangerous area?_ He glanced around, scanning for signs of monsters. Though the WRO are working on rebuilding parts of Midgar and clearing away the buildings, the once-capital of the mighty Shinra was still mostly in ruins. Only parts of Sector 5 and 6 were able to inhabit people, though most of them were only in the area looking for materials. Therefore, several buildings and stores were constructed for these travelers. No one wanted to live in Midgar anymore. As a result, monsters grew in large numbers in the wrecked place.

Vincent's eyes rested on the taller figure, who suddenly tripped and fell. The two children ran to help her up, laughing. The three sat down chattering animatedly, not noticing something lurking behind a broken car 100 meters away. But Vincent did.

Swiftly, he jumped down the 10-story high building, reaching for Cerberus at his side. _Doesn't matter if she saw me now. She wouldn't believe me if I told her I was watching over her._ Aiming his gun, he fired at the Evolved Fang, which was running at great speed, ducking the gunshots.

"Protect them!" the man shouted as a wide-eyed Yuffie wrapped her arms around Marlene and Denzel.

"Vincent?" Yuffie stood up, fighting position at the ready.

The cloaked man turned to her and said, "no, you must protect the children. I'll deal with this."

Yuffie shook her head determinedly. "No, look! We're surrounded!"

Sure enough, at least half a dozen more Fangs appeared, nostrils flared, circling around the four hungrily.

"Denzel, take this," Vincent handed a metal pipe at the boy. "Follow my instructions. If I say run, take Marlene with you."

The two children stood squeezed in between the older two, holding hands tightly. At once, the monsters jumped toward the group. Gunshots and screams were heard throughout the broken field. Yuffie threw her shuriken, which flew at two beasts in a flash, slashing their bare skin. She caught it quickly and propelled it toward another.

Vincent cleared the way leading to the empty building he had hidden earlier. "Denzel, the building!"

The boy nodded confidently. Clutching Marlene's hand tightly and the rod in the other, the two children ran into the building, with Vincent guarding their tail.

"Kyaa!" A Fang jumped onto the ninja from behind. She slammed onto the cracked ground, shuriken flying 10 feet away.

Running, Vincent fired Cerberus straight at the beast's heart. Bullets pierced through the monster's thick coat of black fur. Losing strength, the Fang collapsed onto the girl. She hastily pushed it off her, blue blood staining her hands.

"Oh ugh!" the ninja muttered, as red blood trickled down her left cheek.

"Are you all right?" Vincent asked, kneeling in front of her. He examined her face closely.

It was the first time Yuffie had ever seen concern from this man. She couldn't answer, gaping at him.

"Yuffie?" He moved closer, face just inches away.

WHAM.

It was impact so sudden and strong that Vincent's knees gave way, and he fell on top of the girl. Their lips brushed. Yuffie's eyes widen. Vincent's face redden.

ROARRR! The beast snarled above, sharp nails piercing the man's back. Arm bending backwards, Vincent fired one last time. The monster dropped with a thud onto the ground, dead.

Vincent turned to the girl below him, a strand of dark hair brushing her bleeding face - a face as red as his scanning eyes.

_Ba-bump._

* * *

_Author's note:_ Short, short chapter, but I just have to end it here! :P


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII—all SquareEnix's :)

* * *

**Chapter 9**

"What happened?" Tifa exclaimed angrily, staring at the wounded Yuffie and Vincent. She was sitting with her arms around Marlene and Denzel, both with faces still filled with fright. They were back to the comfort of Seventh Heaven. Rude was standing behind her, muttering in his cell phone.

Sitting across from them were the ninja and the marooned man, though with a large space in between them. They were tending to their own wounds, both uncharacteristically quiet (at least Yuffie was).

They heard the bar door swing open downstairs. Moments later, footsteps echoed the hall. A blond spiky head emerged from the landing.

"Tifa-?" Cloud stopped and stared at the people gathered in the living room. Apparently, he didn't expect that many people to welcome him home.

"Cloud!" Marlene and Denzel raced into the man's arms.

"We were attacked! By those Fangs!" Marlene cried.

"I used a pipe and swung it how you always do!" Denzel chirped.

"What?!" Cloud stared wide-eyed at Tifa.

Tifa shrugged. "Don't ask me, ask them." Her chin pointed toward the two injured across from her.

The cloaked man remained silent, carefully wrapping his left arm with a bandage. Meanwhile, Yuffie was wincing in pain as she cleaned the deep cut on her face. None of them spoke much during the journey back to the bar. Tifa and Rude had just gotten off the Shinra helicopter and was walking to the Midgar Gate when the two children ran toward them, crying. They led the two adults to the monster-corpses-filled scene, where Yuffie and Vincent sat on the ground, looking stunned.

"What happened?" Cloud asked, stealing an anxious glance at the Turks behind the martial artist.

Yuffie puffed out her cheeks annoyingly. "I took the kids out to play. Outside of the Midgar Gate. Got attacked by those stupid big Fangs."

Cloud turned to Tifa. "What about you? You're all right?"

"Um, yeah, well," Tifa murmured, "I wasn't there."

The chocobo-head tilted his head. "Why not?"

"Because of you, you jerk!" Yuffie snapped accusingly.

"Yuffie!" the older woman hissed.

The party could hear the bar door swinging open again and footsteps clambering up the stairs.

"Yuffie-chan~!" The red-hair bursted into the living room, sweat trickling down his face. "Are you all right?!" He slumped down onto the space between the girl and the other man, hands and eyes scanning the girl's wounds. "Don't worry, I'll heal you up in a cinch-"

"I'm _fine_!" Yuffie barked. She shooed Reno's hands away.

Suddenly, the silent man next to Reno stood up. Everybody stared up at him, looking surprised. He turned toward the stairs, muttering behind him, "that is all."

Nobody stopped the man from leaving, though the ninja's legs twitched slightly. Heat fumed up the girl's face. She looked down at her hands.

Rude cleared his throat. "I'll be going too." The man started down the stairs. Tifa hurried after him.

"Thank you, Rude," she said as she caught up with the man. She smiled. "I'll get you a free drink the next time you come."

The Turks grunted and gave a humble nod. He waved his hand and disappeared down the hall. As the woman turned back to the living room, Cloud blocked her way. Tifa blinked.

"You're home early," she said softly.

Cloud gazed into the red sparkling eyes, the very same eyes that he was so scared of staring into when he was young. He never had the chance to notice that the eyes were twinkling with shyness that matched his own. Scratching his head, the man smiled embarrassingly. "I'll be home earlier from now on. I promise."

Tifa hesitated, then smiled. "Then don't break this promise."

The man nodded confidently. "I never break promises."

Gently, he took Tifa's hand and led her down the stairs to the kitchen. He opened the freezer and extracted a white container. "This," he said, "is for you. Only."

Giggling, Tifa took the ice cream from the man's hands. She glanced shyly at the Mako-blue eyes, eyes that were honest and innocent. Tiptoeing, she placed a kiss on the man's cheeks. "Thank you," she whispered.

Face reddening, Cloud murmured, "I guess...we both found our answers, right?"

"Hmm," Tifa nodded, a wide smile on her face.

The couple was oblivious to the fact that four people were peeking from the hallway.

"Poor Rude," Reno shook his head sadly.

Marlene and Denzel exchanged happy grins.

Yuffie, on the other hand, seemed bothered by something.

* * *

Being a ninja meant specially trained in stealing, intelligence gathering, and espionage. _Trying to hide from me, huh? That's impossible!_

Yuffie peered down at the only light source coming from the burning campfire in the dark cavern. She shivered as the cold Mt. Nibel wind seeped through the cracks of the gray rocks, wrapping her arms tightly around her legs on the edge of a cliff. A figure moved around the fire and sat down, palms outreached for warmth. The ninja glared jealously at the fire. _Maybe it's time to face him. How long do I want to hide anyway? _

Ever since the incident at the Midgar Gate, Yuffie finally figured out what has been bothering her. _I knew it! I was being watched all this time. I'm so stupid!_ She decided to do what the man has been doing for the past year-be a stalker! It took her a while to find out where the man headed to after leaving the Edge. She managed to gather information (_come on, I'm good at it!_) and found the man lurking in the forest around Junon. _Ha! Forest is my territory!_ She ended up stalking the man for a week. She was growing weary. And hungry. And cold. And many other things.

From afar, she saw the man finally laying down for the night. _All right, time to sneak up on him. He he he..._

Yuffie moved swiftly down the slope of the clammy cave. She hated this mountain. It was cold, wet, and gloomy. _Guess he's gonna go to Nibelheim again...Gosh that coffin of his...ew. _The bitter wind pierced her skin; goosebumps grew on her arms; her teeth chattered endlessly. As she neared the fire, she slowed down. Her boots stepped quietly onto the smooth ground. Soundlessly, she inched toward the sleeping man, whose chest was breathing calmly, up and down, up and down...

She kneeled down next to the man in the sleeping bag. His eyes were closed and the rest of his face was hidden behind his cape. Yuffie took the time to observe the man's sleeping face. _Does he only look this peaceful while sleeping?_ The girl stared absentmindedly at Vincent, vision blurring. Slowly, her hand reached out to the cape that covered the man's lower face; she pulled it down. Her white fingers hovered above the pale lips, shakily. Those lips...the very lips that brushed ever so slightly at the girl's own lips...

The red eyes flashed opened.

Yuffie gasped in fright. She pulled her hand away from the man, but he was much quicker; he grabbed her fingers and sat straight up, staring at the stunned girl.

"Shi-"

"Why are you following me?" Vincent asked, eyes scanning the ninja.

Yufie blinked. "Shouldn't _I _be the one asking this?" she demanded. "Why are _you_ following me?"

The man thought for a long moment but did not answer.

"Hey!" The ninja shoved the man's grasp away. "Answer me! Why are you following me? Almost a year too!"

"To protect you." The simple words slipped from Vincent's lips. Even he seemed surprised at himself.

"Why?" Yuffie looked down, confused. "I thought...I thought you don't care about me, right?" A hint of plead could be heard from her last sentence.

"Are you...crying?" Vincent asked in surprise.

"W-what?" The ninja's hands flew to her face, which was icy cold with streaks of tears stinging her cheeks. She wasn't even aware of crying. Emotions overloaded.

Vincent shrugged. "What is the point of informing you the truth when I don't deserve to be the one giving you happiness? Anyway," he stared into the flames bitterly, "you seem quite content with him right now."

Yuffie stiffened. _Content? With him? Oh, him. _To be honest, she haven't thought about the fire-head for the entire week. She was too focused and determined on stalking Vincent. A twinge of guilt twisted in her heart. The girl was confused. _Wait. So does this mean two hot guys are fighting for a hot babe like me?! _A cocky grin appeared on the ninja's wet face.

"So, you like me?" she smirked.

If it wasn't for the fire, the girl wouldn't have noticed the slight pink materializing on the man's cheeks. Her grin grew wider.

"You do!" She pointed her index finger accusingly at the man's pointy nose. "Since when?!" she demanded. Questions fired out of her lips. "Was it after the Deepground? Why didn't you tell me earlier? Does anyone know? What about Lucrecia? What about _Shelke?!_" The last question was the one she desperately wanted an answer to. She took a deep breath and stared at the red eyes.

"Why is everyone so interested in how I feel toward Shelke?" Vincent asked in a monotone.

The girl thought for a moment and blasted, "because you two are really close, and she seems to know a lot about you, and you look at her differently and always help her out, and I'm sure she reminds you of Lucrecia, and I can't imagine a cute babe like me would lose to an annoying chick like her, and I'm freakin' jealous of that brat!"

Vincent snorted. "You're the number one brat."

"See!" Yuffie glared at the man with killing eyes. "You defend her any time you can!"

"But I didn't follow her around for a year," the man replied simply.

That shut the girl up. Vincent seemed satisfied, since a smug expression filled his face. Frowning, and still resisting to lose, the ninja pressed on.

"You still haven't answered my other questions!"

The man sighed deeply and looked straight at the girl's brown eyes. "Perhaps this will settle your _perky_ little questions."

In a swift motion, the man grabbed the back of the girl's head, pulling her to his lips. Eyes wide in shock, Yuffie tried to fight the man off, but he was stronger. Much stronger. Vincent could feel the girl's burning face. He let go.

"_You depressing romantic freak!_" The ninja pushed the man's hand away, blushing furiously.

"And if that's not enough of an answer," Vincent said quietly, "I promise I'll be more passionate next time."

Yuffie blinked in a daze. The man stood up and walked to the opposite side of the fire.

"It's getting late. You should rest for the night." He pointed at the sleeping bag next to the girl.

"What about you?"

"I don't need much sleep."

"But you were sleeping when I came sneaking up on you!" Yuffie said incredulously.

"Just to lure you down."

* * *

_Author's note:_ Cloud and Tifa finally found both their answers. :D And I don't know why, but I've always felt that Vincent is the romantic-sort of guy, even though he's always so dark and gloomy. That just adds to his mysteriousness, right?


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII—all SquareEnix's :)

_Author's note:_ Thank you so much for the reviews. They mean so much to me!

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Sounds of eagles crying could be heard as an icy air of dew woke the ninja up. Shivering slightly, she sat up, yawning widely. In front of her were ashes of last night's fire. Pale sunlight seeped through the gaps and the opening of the cave. Something's different. She jumped up and stared wildly around her.

_Where's Vincent?!_

As fast as she could, she packed up her belongings and rushed out of the cave. It must be around 5 or 6am, as the sun was just rising.

"Damnit, he ditched me!"

She reached for her cell phone and dialed _Vinnie _eagerly. A moment later, a familiar ringtone echoed from her bag.

"Huh?" Rummaging, she grabbed the black vibrating phone of Vincent Valentine.

_Caller: Ninja_

Yuffie narrowed her eyes angrily. "He left his phone in the sleeping bag? Seriously?!"

She sat down on a rock and threw her bag roughly onto the trail. Irritably, Yuffie began scrolling through Vincent's phone - Contacts, Messages, Inbox -

Something caught her attention. Vincent's inbox wasn't particularly exciting, as there were only 10 messages. But the newest message with a familiar phone number interested the girl. The number wasn't added to the Contacts list, but Yuffie recognized it at once. She pressed the "open" button.

_"Ok, let's meet there. 9pm."_

"There? Where's 'there'? And why are they meeting?" Yuffie squinted her eyes, mind racing. She reached for her shorts' pocket and took out _her _phone. Flipping it open, she dialed _Fire-Head_.

_Probably too early for him to have waken up..._

"Mornin' Yuffie-chan~!"

Yuffie was surprised. "Huh? You're up already? What are you - where are you?"

Reno didn't need to answer her since she could hear the loud flapping sound of a helicopter.

"I'm flying the helicopter!" Reno yelled amidst the noise. "Got somethin' to do for boss!"

"Reno," (Rude's voice could be heard in the background), "land in that grassy pitch there - NO - _watch out the Nibel wolves!_"

"Holy shi-Yuffie, I'll call ya back in a bit!"

The ninja stared down at the phone. "Hmm...Nibel Wolves, huh? Guess that means he's at Nibelheim. No, _both _of them are at Nibelheim...oh man, I'm so smart!"

Clambering down the winding slopes of Mt. Nibel, it took her nearly the entire day to finally reach the grassy plains of the Nibel area.

"Oh gosh," Yuffie huffed and puffed, "what torture!" She stumbled wearily onto the grass, watching the glowing orange sunset behind Mt. Nibel. Up ahead, she could see the gloomy village of Nibelheim.

"Seriously, why do both of them like coming here so often?" Yuffie wondered. "Both of them..._both of them_..."

Her head was spinning. Two guys in love with her? _Seriously?!_ _Why, of course! Who doesn't love a hot cutie like me? _During her journey down the mountain, she couldn't help but dwell on who she loves more. _Obviously, in terms of time, that'd have to be Vincent. _But Reno's not so bad either. _He makes me tingle and giggle so much during our four months of dating. _In terms of romance..._Reno's sweet, but Vincent...man, he's a hunky romantic! _Both men made her heart skip a beat whenever she was with either one. _Well, fine then, let's compare something tangible - the kisses..._

Yuffie blushed. Her first kiss with Reno was as sweet as sugar; it was under the Wutai moonlight, the night when both refused to let go of each other's hands in Yuri's home..._Man, it makes me funny just thinking about it. _The red-hair's kisses were soft and gentle, like he was afraid of squishing her too hard. Unlike Vincent. _Well, okay, technically, we've only smooched "once" since that time at Midgar was an accident - it wasn't even a proper kiss! But the first "real" kiss was pretty rough!_ Yuffie's face burned as she recalled last night.

"Damnit!" Yuffie smacked her forehead. "Gotta stop dreamin' and start movin'!"

She was about to stand up but realized it was too early to sneak into the village. "What if I bumped into one of them?" The girl sat down again. _Damn, might as well rest here for a while then. _Instantly, she dozed off.

* * *

The dark mansion stood solemnly in the silent night. Clouds shrouded the moonlight, blackening the village. The only light came from the slight flickering of a candle on the second floor of the great manor. Two silhouettes could be seen from behind the curtained window.

Inside, the atmosphere was filled with heavy hostility. The two figures stood facing each other, weapons at the ready. The only movement came from the petty twirling of a silk of cobweb on the caped figure's shoulder. A muscle jerked uneasily in the lanky figure's right calf. Still, they stood, not moving, not daring. One can only wonder how much time elapsed since they drew weapons.

Finally, losing his last bit of patience, the lanky figure opened his mouth, but his throat was dry. He managed to let loose a grunt, and a "shit." Irritably, he bent down and stretched out his right leg.

Either it was the single word or the sudden movement, it seemed to have woken up the other man. Vincent blinked and, staring down at Cerberus, he returned it inside his cape.

Reno continued stretching, muttering curses as he winced in pain.

"We shared a kiss."

The red-hair stopped. Slowly, his blue eyes traveled to the maroon ones. His mind was absorbing the four words he just heard. Was he imagining the monster bellowing inside him? Surely, it was not like Reno to be mad at someone for kissing and sleeping around with others - he did that all the time. But that was four months ago. He's different now. The red marks on his cheekbones twitched. He returned to his standing position, keeping his eyes steadily on the other man. He raised his left hand, Electro-Mag Rod at the ready.

"Okay, 'guess we gotta fight," Reno said determinedly.

Swiftly, Reno jumped and sent electric sparks flying at the man. Vincent dodged easily, jumping over the red-hair.

"I do not wish to fight," the caped man called over his shoulder.

"Well, I do!" Reno shouted as he sent a Lightning Bolt flying toward Vincent.

A long-range fighter and a short-range fighter: it was obvious who would win, though Reno put up a pretty good battle, managing to paralyze the man and wounding him with another Lightning Bolt. Vincent was quick to recover though. He rolled over and blocked the attacks, showering bullets down at the red-hair.

Reno leapt behind an overturned table as he cursed at himself. Suddenly, a faint orange-red glow emitted from his entire body. Yelling, he jumped and slashed out in fury, waves of shocking lightning erupted toward the cloaked man, who covered behind a fallen armchair.

"NO!"

The two men stopped. Reno was still glowing, though his flashing eyes calmed down as he stared at the source of the cry.

Yuffie was breathing heavily, like she had ran a long way. Sweat trickled down her face as she observed the wreckage of the room; broken chairs, torn curtains, bullet holes on the walls, burnt tables. Somehow, something like relief appeared on her face.

"Was that-"

"A new Limit Break, yeah," Reno muttered. "Shall I name it '_Heart-Broken'_?"

The ninja shifted. "No, more like, '_Shock of Your Life'_," she said, hiding a smirk.

Reno snorted and shook his head in disbelief. The two of them had the worst sense of humor ever. Together, they turned to stare at the casualty Reno's half-released Limit Break made to the armchair - the chair was entirely reduced to ashes. Yuffie could only imagine what would have happened if she didn't stop him in time. Though secretly, she was amazed and captivated by Reno's hidden power.

Vincent cleared his throat as he dust the ashes off his cloak. The two younger figures snapped back to the scene.

"Uh, what were you two doing?" Yuffie asked hesitantly.

The red-hair scratched his head embarrassingly, while the cloaked man remained silent. The ninja looked from one man to the other, waiting. Several minutes passed. As if suddenly threatened to talk, the two men started speaking simultaneously.

"Yuffie, you'll be happier with him-"

"Look, Yuffie-chan, I'm just a player-"

"-I'm too old for you-"

"-Don't deserve you yo-"

"-My past is too much-"

"-I always go drinkin' and bluffin'-"

"Wait-"

"No, she's better off with you-"

"WAIT-"

"No, man, she's all yours-"

"No, _WAIT A MINUTE HERE!_" Yuffie whipped her head toward Vincent. "_You _think you're a _pedophile?!_" (turns to Reno), "And _you_ think you're a _badass player?!_" The girl wanted to pull her hair off. This was too much. Her eyes were on fire. "Are you both _NUTS?!_ You're just trying to dump a hot chick like me, right?! _RIGHT?!_" she shrieked.

Vincent shook his head. "Yuffie, he makes you happy. All I ever gave you was disappointment."

Reno shook _his _head. "No Yuffie-chan, I'm not such a good guy after all."

"No-"

"_No_, listen to me," the red-hair said seriously. "Yuffie-chan, Valentine's been likin' you for a long time. I knew it all along. Yeah."

"What?" The girl's eyes grew wide.

The Turk sneered and shook his head again. "I knew it since that night at the bar." Seeing the girl's confused expression, he carried on. "Everyone could tell from the outside. Just you dunno. It was pretty obvious he likes ya. Why else would he be so pissed off when you were drinkin' that shit?"

Yuffie stared into the aqua-blue eyes.

Reno continued. "I was bein' a selfish ass." He swung his rod bitterly in his left hand. "I didn't want ya to be with him. Not until I've had _my _turn. At the very least, I wanted to _try _to be with you. So I took things into my own hands." His blue eyes moved away from the brown ones and glanced down at his fists. "I wanted ta make you fall in love with me. I wanted you to be mine. So I acted faster than him."

The ninja bit her lips. "WELL, you're not _that_ badass..."

"Eh?" The man ruffled his unkempt hair uncertainly.

Yuffie shrugged. "It's not like I didn't have a good time with you."

A small grin appeared on Reno's face.

"What about you-" Yuffie turned around to Vincent, or rather, where the man was standing at about five minutes ago. "Hey, where did he go-?"

The red-hair stepped out of the room and into the hall. "He's gone," his voice echoed.

"Grr damnit! Always running away from me, huh!" Yuffie pushed past Reno and was starting down the wooden stairs, but stopped abruptly. She turned back to the Turk and stared at the man. Softly, she placed her hands on the man's cheeks. She kissed the red marks and breathed, "thank you for the four months. Really."

Then she clambered down the stairs.

"Where you goin'?" Reno called after her.

"I gotta find that hopeless romantic!"

* * *

Stepping into the midnight air of the gloomy village, Yuffie stared wildly around her. Everywhere she looked was pitch-black. The only light came from the pale orange glow of the street lights near the town center. She ran. Her footsteps echoed loudly in the silent night. She knew the man haven't left the village yet. She just _knew_.

"Hey depressing old man!" she called out.

Her eyes scanned the area - dark trees, wooden bridge, water tower, small cottage houses, tiled roofs - the roof. There he was, sitting wrapped in his cloak, maroon eyes glowing down at her. _Ba-bump._

For a moment, the two of them just stared at each other, not moving, not speaking. In fact, they were so still that Yuffie thought she was actually staring at the eyes of a bat. But the slight ruffling of the cloak told her it was him. She broke the stare and saw a wooden ladder leading to the roof. Clumsily, she climbed up and slumped down next to the man.

No moon, no stars. They could hear a distant howl from a pack of Nibel wolves.

"Why?" The question slipped out of the man's mouth.

"Because I want the answer that you promised."

The girl turned to the man, the man whom she loved with all her heart. She wrapped Vincent's cheeks in her hands and met his lips with her own. A passionate kiss, one that they both longed for so many years.

* * *

_Author's note:_ Poor Reno. The Turks are fated to be "loveless", huh?


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII—all SquareEnix's.

_Author's note:_ Here it is, the last chapter. I'm going to miss this :)

* * *

**Chapter 11**

"Thank you so much, sir!" the man in the black suit said enthusiastically.

Cloud put down the pen and turned to admire the blue shimmering water out of the window. _Wait til I show Tifa_...His heart thumped loudly.

"Shall I put '_Villa Cloud' _as the name, Mr. Strife?"

"Oh, no," the blond replied. "Put...'_Villa Tifa'_." A bright smile spread across the man's pink face.

* * *

Laughter and chatter could be heard from inside Seventh Heaven. As Marlene put it, _the later it is, the louder it gets._ Cloud parked Fenrir by the dark sidewalk and glanced at the bright lights seeping from the bar. He smiled, a feeling of utmost happiness filling his heart. He climbed the stairs and entered the bar.

Instantly, he spotted Tifa behind the counter, engaged in a deep conversation with two men in suits. She was wearing a cute white teeshirt with a gold chocobo on the front, which Cloud had bought her at Gold Saucer.

"_This chocobo reminds me of you." _Cloud recalled Tifa's sweet smile on their first date. From then on, the man promised himself to protect this smile.

He walked over to the three.

"I'm back," Cloud smiled.

"Oh, Cloud! Welcome back," Tifa beamed. She gave the man a quick kiss on the cheeks and immediately returned to the two men next to Cloud.

"Yo," Reno boozed. A dozen bottles of beer sat in front of him.

Rude grunted. He was drinking a blue and orange-colored cocktail.

Cloud gave a nod, and returned his eyes to Tifa-who paid no attention to him as she was speaking animatedly to the two men.

"Come on, you know they deserve to be together," she was saying.

"I know, man, 's just that," the red-hair took a great gulp of beer, "just that...I've never been...never been-"

"_Dumped_." Tifa and Rude finished for him. The two burst into laughter and high-fived at their like-mindedness.

"Damnit guys, be considerate!" Reno hit his fist on the counter.

"Uh, Tifa-?" Cloud murmured, as he observed Tifa and Rude's laughing fit. His heart was squirming uncomfortably, like something was clawing it with pointed nails. He never felt anything like this before.

"Yes, Cloud?" The barmaid turned to him, still laughing, and suddenly, her red eyes grew wide as if she just noticed he was here. "Oh!" She hurried to the oven behind her and pulled out a baking dish. She placed it in front of the blond. "Sorry, Cloud, I forgot, woops!" She giggled and added, "lasagna. It's my first time making it."

The man shrugged off the "I forgot" part and managed a smile at Tifa. "It smells great-"

"Yo Teef, what did you say you're naming this again?" Reno asked, pointing to the blue and orange cocktail that Rude was enjoying.

"Oh," the barmaid returned to the Turks. "'_Big Arms_'."

"For a moment, I thought you were gonna say, '_Big Boob_s'," Reno snorted into his beer.

Both Tifa and Rude smacked the red-hair on the head. Cloud felt his face burning; he glared at the Turk dangerously.

"Ow, sorry," the Turk muttered, soothing his messy head. "'_Big Arms_'? What kinda name is that?"

Tifa shrugged, her face still flushed. "Marlene and Denzel named it. Some kind of rhyme that they heard from school. '_Big arms, big arms, protect the blue-orange farm.' _They said the color reminded them of the rhyme."

"Rude's got big arms," the red-hair said lazily, squeezing his partner's muscles. "He'll protect the farm."

Tifa giggled. The Turk was obviously getting drunk.

Cloud's ears twitched, listening hard, though his eyes remained fixed on his meal. _I got big arms too...right?_

"He could protect you too, Tifa!" Reno blurted, grabbing a new bottle of beer.

Pieces of lasagna spit out from the blond's mouth. No one noticed though.

The shiny-headed Turk grunted and hit his partner on the back of his head again. "Shut it."

"Hey c'mon, big arms could protect anyone," Reno said as his head spun around. "I haven't got any big arms," (he raised his long scrawny arms above his head), "so I got dumped yoooo."

"Oh, stop it, Reno, you're drunk!" Tifa frowned. She grabbed the bottle in the red-hair's hand and placed it behind the counter.

"No, c'mon, Tifaaaa~"

"No-"

"Hey dude-"

Reno continued to blabber as Tifa and Rude tried to stop him from drinking any more. All this time, a man with chocobo hair sat foolishly next to them, eating his lasagna quietly, all previous excitement drained from him.

* * *

Tifa placed the wet towels on the hanger above the sink and smiled softly as the busy night finally came to an end. She had a hard time shooing the drunken Reno away when Rude suddenly gave him a killer-smack on the back and carried him off.

Wondering where Cloud was, she stepped into the night air and nearly tripped over a figure sitting on the steps.

"_Whoa_-Cloud?!"

The chocobo-head caught her flying hands easily and pulled her down next to him on the wooden stairs.

"Thanks," the woman smiled.

However, Cloud did not return her smile. He seemed bothered by something as his brows were slightly furrowed.

"Is something wrong, Cloud?" Tifa asked.

The man's lips twitched, but decided not to talk. He shook his head and continued staring into space.

Tifa clicked her tongue. "Tsk tsk tsk...aren't we supposed to be honest with each other?"

A low grunt issued from the chocobo-head.

"So tell me."

Cloud shuffled his gray boots uncomfortably on the floorboards. He was like a little boy caught hiding something from his mother. Still, his lips would not budge, although his face was reddening, like a balloon ready to burst at any moment.

Tifa's heart went cold. She stared down at her hands on her lap, ready for the worst to come.

"Cloud?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you like it here?"

"Of course," the blond answered, surprised at the question.

Tifa gazed into the night sky and was quiet for a long moment.

"Cloud?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you...going to leave us...again?" Tifa was afraid say "me".

At this, Cloud turned to face Tifa, shocked. "No," he shook his head. "No, I..." He scratched his head and let loose a small chuckle. "I...I was just...just wondering when did _you-and-Rude-get-so-close?_" he blurted.

The woman tilted her head, puzzled. Then something lit up in her mind. "Oh!" A wide grin spread across her face. "Are you...you're _jealous?_" She couldn't help her voice from turning into a high-pitched squeak.

Face burning with embarrassment, Cloud shrugged. A slight bowing of his head told Tifa she was correct.

Giggling, the childhood friend and lover rested her head on the man's broad shoulder.

"Silly Cloud...you shouldn't be worried."

"I know..." the blond stammered. "I just - I don't - my heart, it felt like it's been stabbed."

Tifa's fingers reached for Cloud's ear and pinched it playfully. "Now you know how I felt back then!" she teased.

A shy smile appeared on the man's face. Tifa laid her head on his shoulder again.

"Tifa?"

"Mmm?"

Clumsily, Cloud wrapped his arm around the woman tightly, fingers clutching her slender form.

"My arms are big enough, right?"

Tifa laughed. "Of course!"

Cloud grinned, face flushing.

"Tifa?"

"Yes, Cloud?"

"Could I...could I take you on a date next weekend?"

The woman beamed. "I'd love to! As long as you're with me."

Cloud returned her smile, excitement filling him up again. "I promise I'll stay here with you always."

A sweet giggle escaped from Tifa's pink lips. She nodded happily and closed her eyes, her long brown hair tickling the blond's strong arm.

"Tifa?"

"Hmm?"

"Could I...stay by your side tonight?"

Tifa's red eyes glowed as the blond leaned in, embracing her in his arms. Slowly, his lips edged toward the beautiful tender face. Under the familiar moonlight, he carried her into Seventh Heaven.

*End*

* * *

_Author's note:_ I wanted to make Cloud jealous, to feel that green monster bellowing inside of him. After all, he may be a cute hunk, but Tifa's a beautiful woman too! :P

Well, that's all for this story! Hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites, and followings. They mean so much to me.

I really like how this story turned out. I actually "started" this story when I was daydreaming and being bored haha- I scribbled down the first part of the first chapter (Tifa's thoughts about Cloud). Eventually, I started developing it into something more, so I kept writing and writing and I couldn't stop, hence, the fast updates! Writing this story had made me pick up the game and play again. I don't think I'll ever be bored of FFVII. Thank you again :)


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